Forest Lily
by shinobipopcorn
Summary: King Zelda cares for his good friend and hero Link very much, to the point of love, so he is devastated when he learns that she has been sexually assaulted by the enemy. At the same time Link fears that she is now tarnished, and that no one, not even her friend and love Zelda, will like her anymore. Male Zelda/Female Link oneshot
A/N: I read a few male Zelda stories over the weekend and wanted to try. Enjoy!

* * *

"King Zelda, King Zelda!"

I looked up from my desk with a start, putting the maps and battle plans I was studying down as a soldier came running into my office. "What's wrong? Has Ganondorf breeched the city walls?" I asked, fearing that our reports of his whereabouts were inaccurate. The soldier quickly shook his head, though I could tell from his eyes that whatever had happened was just as dreadful. I quickly searched my brain for things that could rival an attack on the town in seriousness, when it hit me just as the guard opened his mouth.

"It's Lady Link. He..."

I didn't wait for the guard to continue before I vaulted out of my chair and out of the office. I ran through the halls to the infirmary, not caring who I knocked over. Link was blessed with the Triforce of Courage, marking her as the hero of legend, but she was fragile. She was a delicate forest lily, with soft blonde hair, sparkling blue eyes, and a petite body that could barely lift a sword. At nineteen she was no stronger than the heroes past that had been children, but her stubbornness to help reluctantly made me accept. And now this.

Reaching the infirmary I flew inside, only to be stopped as Impa caught and restrained me. "Sire! My lord, hold on a minute!"

"Impa, release me! I need to see her!" I kicked up a fuss, but I am no match for my Sheikah bodyguard's strength. Impa has been my nursemaid since I was feeding from my mother's breast, so she knows how temperamental I can be. But rather than releasing me, she signaled for the nurses who had stopped to watch my racket to continue on with their duties and pulled me to a vacant corner of the room.

"Now, I am going to let go of you, young man, and when I do, I expect you to stay put and listen to me, alright?" I sighed and nodded, and Impa finally released me.

I tried to peer past Impa's shoulder, but seeing only the white walls of the room, I let out another sigh. "...Is she going to make it?"

"She is alive," Impa answered bluntly. "There was a call for help from the lakefront settlement a few days ago, and Link responded to it. She took a small group of soldiers with her, and when they arrived at the village they found it under siege."

"Ganondorf attacked the lakefront village? What advantage does he gain from that?" The only thing I could think of was restricting access to the lake, but the Zora control that from their domain in the hills. "What happened? What did he do?"

"Ganondorf wasn't directly responsible for the village attack," Impa explained. "It was a few rogue bandits, which Link and the soldiers drove off."

"Then how was she injured?!" I yelled, startling some of the nurses.

Impa nodded. "I'm getting to that, sire. While the soldiers helped the villagers recover, Link told them she was going to patrol the border to make sure there were no more threats. That was the last they heard from her, until they found her three days later washed up on the edge of the river that leads from the entrance to Gerudo Valley."

My heart dropped. "What do you mean, 'they found her'? She was in the water? Then who did it? Let me go to her!"

Impa stopped me once again. "Zelda. There's something else I haven't told you. I'm sure you've put the pieces together that she was kidnapped and taken to Gerudo Valley. We don't know very much else about what happened, other than that she either escaped or they threw her out. When you see her, you're going to see some nasty injuries. No matter what happened, I want you to know that she's still alive. We're all thankful for that."

"Well yes of course, Impa. What's your point?" I stared at her, and I could tell something was off by the look in her eyes. Impa wasn't telling me everything, and it started to worry me. "...Don't tell me- did Link lose something?"

"...Yes, she did."

"Oh Goddesses..." I held steady to Impa's shoulder's as I steeled myself, then opened my eyes. "Was it her arm? Or her leg?"

Impa was somber. "...No, nothing like that."

"Not one of her eyes? Or her fingers, was it? Impa, just tell me!" I started to get annoyed, until I saw Impa fold her hands over her stomach and sigh. Then it hit me. I knew what Link lost, I knew what _he_ did to her. The worst thing a man can do to a woman. I immediately screamed and started lashing out at things, knocking over whatever was in reach and causing such a ruckus that the guards came running in to make sure everything was okay. Impa quietly dismissed them and let me calm down on my own, waiting until I was done with my hissy fit before drawing me up and guiding me over to Link's room.

"Now Zelda, I know how deeply you care for Link, so I'm going to ignore what you just did and let you see her. She is still unconscious," she explained, "and I think it would be best if someone she loves is there for her when she wakes."

"...Does she know what he did to her?" I asked like a fool.

"I'm fairly certain she does, and I believe she was strong enough to escape his clutches," Impa surmised. "That means she wanted to keep going, to get back to you. Come now." Impa opened the door and stepped aside.

I wanted to cry. Link was laying there on the bed, and she looked broken. Her face was black and blue, her arms were bandaged, and her magical aura was weak. I can only assume that the rest of her body beneath the sheets was just as bandaged. I collapsed into the chair beside the bed and took her left hand in mine.

"I will take over your military duties, you just focus on recovery." Impa bowed out of the room, leaving the two of us alone.

* * *

Bad colors. Loud notes, off key, no rhythm. Banging, banging, over and over again and it won't stop and all I want is the pain to go away...

The bad sound subsides as different shouting takes its place. Children? Arms and legs aren't cold anymore, and there's a spot of warmth on my shoulder. Dragging. I'm being dragged. A little hand touches my cheek as another person hoists me up out of wherever I was and screams for a soldier. This person is a woman, maybe the child's mother. I can see out one hazy eye as my consciousness begins to fade. The woman's face suddenly twists in horror at something, and she rips off her apron and hurriedly wraps it around my waist...

Oh. That's right. I'm dirty now...

Eyes closed and it's a void. I hear all kinds of colors and sounds, with an overwhelming feeling of disappointment. The hero was beaten. What good is a soiled hero? Ganondorf won! All he has to do is beat Zelda!

Zelda...

He's gonna be so upset with me. I know he loves me. When he finds out that I'm dirty now, he's not gonna want anything to do with me anymore. And I won't have anywhere to go. The Kokiri can't take me back since I'm no longer innocent...

Suddenly I'm getting blue colors, very soft. For a moment there's a few thunder strikes, like someone is very angry. Tremors, pain. Then pink, warm, tender. Very sad and hurt, but overwhelmingly loving. Have I succumbed to injury and been reunited with my parents?

My eyes flutter open, and I'm greeted by a dim ceiling. So I'm not dead. But I have a wonderful feeling in my left hand, and I look over and find Zelda sleeping against the edge of the bed with his hands wrapped around mine.

Zelda, he must be the source of the tenderness I felt... Oh, but he probably doesn't know yet about what...

I pull my hand from his and painfully roll to the opposite side, tears sliding down my face. I guess I woke him up because he got up and started following me; whichever way I turn he leans over and looks in my eyes.

"Link, Link! Calm down, it's okay, it's only me, Zelda!"

Ashamed, I pulled the blanket over my head. When he finds out, he's not going to want anything to do with me, so it's best I stay away from him now. If I see that hurt face of his any more, I'm just going to want to hold him. But I can't.

"Honey..." I heard him sigh, and felt him sit on the edge of the bed. "Link, please come out. I'm not ashamed of you."

What did he say? I pulled the blanket down enough to see him, and he looked so sad. He reached out and cupped my face, careful not to aggravate the bruises on my cheek.

"I intend to kill that monster for what he did to you, Link, but don't you think for one second that anything that happened has made you less perfect in my eyes. You're my forest lily, my innocent cherub. I love you now just as much as I did when you snuck into my courtyard while chasing after your cat."

"But... I'm dirty?" Right? Ganondorf tied me down and put his hands all over me. He... he violated me. How could I be innocent?

As if he knew what I was thinking, Zelda leaned down and kissed me softly on the lips. "No, baby, you are not dirty. Don't listen to what _he_ said, don't listen to what anyone else says. All that matters is what I say because I'm the king. And I say whoever calls the queen dirty gets a trip to the pillory!"

...Queen?

Zelda smiled at my surprise. "You know you were the only one I've considered since we were children." He adjusted my blanket, and in doing so, took a peek at my other injuries. "Merciful Nayru... How did you get away?"

I tried to remember. Yes, yes it was dark. He had me in a room near his precious training grounds. He had fallen asleep after he... I shivered, trying to block out those terrible colors and sounds. But he forgot to tie me up, and that was my chance. I crawled through a maze of stone and sand, and emerged in a wide open hollow. Guards everywhere. I crawled toward the training grounds, remembering they were near the valley entrance. Farore must have been watching because no guard saw me. I kept crawling and found the valley gate, but there a guard spotted me. She was going to catch me and take me back to him, and I knew what he would do. Either let him kill me, or jump and let the river kill me.

"My love, I am so sorry we didn't find you sooner." Zelda held my cheek, and nuzzled close to me. "Don't worry, I'll stay here and make sure he doesn't come back to hurt you."

"...Thank you," I mumbled, tearing up and reaching for his hand. When I closed my eyes, I was surrounded by warm, pink love.


End file.
